


Wonderstruck

by Scarlette_Rayne



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 14:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1985628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlette_Rayne/pseuds/Scarlette_Rayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Ogre wars have ravaged the Enchanted Forest. Princess Emma White Swan is about to be forced into a loveless marriage when she meets the love of her life at a ball. The politics of the Enchanted Forest are forever shifting like the tides. Will Emma get swept up in them or will she find something worth fighting for in a woman whose known too much heartbreak in her life all ready?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The ogre wars tore the lands apart for many years. Every time their rebellion seemed to die down, they would appear again twice as fierce as before and begin their assaults. This was the world of the Enchanted Forest that Princess Emma White Swan had grown up in. It was hard in a way knowing her beloved father, King James, had been cut down by an ogre's hand when she was only eight years old but her mother, the veritable Queen of Queens had protected the White-Swan Kingdom by herself from the moment the news had come that the King had fallen in the battle.

Princess Emma, now almost 20 summers, was a beautiful sight to behold. Queen Snow watched from the high stone balcony as her daughter pulled back on the bow and sent the arrow flying directly at the target that had been set up in the courtyard for her training purposes. Emma, the queen noticed, hit the red bulls eye dead on. The arrow quivered from the sheer force the Princess had used to put it there, it's light blue feathers shivering in the wind. She smiled sadly, knowing her daughter wanted to be like her father more than anything. With the sun sparkling on her golden hair, which she'd tied back with a simple leather thong and the leather pants and tunic she insisted on wearing she could see the countenance of the fallen King.

"You'd be so proud of her Charming," She murmured as she spun the green stoned ring on her finger.

"My liege?" She twisted, looking to her general.

"Yes?" She asked as the older man stepped into the room with a deep bow. His armor clanging a bit as he moved but she didn't mind. The former Leviathan was the only true protection she had since James had fallen in battle. Though not many realized the Queen had just as much ability as her daughter to protect herself, she chose to allow Lancelot to protect her.

"The war council is meeting your grace in the throne room. If it pleases her majesty to join us…"

"I will be right there." Snow offered the man a small smile to which he returned.

"Lancelot?" She called as he turned his helmet still in his hands.

"Your grace?"

"Thank you."

"For what your majesty," The man arched an eyebrow. In his youth, he was a handsome man. War had aged him rather prematurely.

She reached up touching the scar that ran across his cheek and down towards his collar bone. "I never properly thanked you for trying to save my husband that night. I'm sorry for that."

"You don't owe me anything. If I had been faster, the King would still be with us."

"As is you risked your life for his. I owe you a great deal of thanks for that. You brought him home." She offered him a small sad smile which he returned.

"It was an honor to serve under him. He was a great man."

"Yes, he was. May I beg another favor of you my friend?"

"Of course your majesty; anything you ask is yours." The man lifted a hand from his helmet and pressed it to his chest with a closed fist.

"Protect my daughter. Should she ever need it."

"With my very soul," He bowed his head to her.

Snow smiled sadly. "Hopefully it won't come to that."

"If it does your grace I will not hesitate. The princess will be safe no matter what it costs me."

Snow nodded, "Please don't let her know that I've asked this of you. She'll never forgive me. She's too much like her father."

"Yes, she is her father's daughter your majesty."

Snow offered him a small sad smile. "We should be going. This war won't win itself."

Lancelot nodded and offered the aging Queen his arm. She was still as beautiful as she had been but the war and losing her beloved had taken its toll on her as well. He could see the way she carried herself when in private. Her shoulders hunched a little, her mouth downturned. The sparkle that had once been in her eyes was rarely seen now. 

* * *

 

"It would be best your majesty to marry your daughter to Prince Stefan of Moonshollow." After the meeting with her war council, the nobles had commandeered a meeting with her to discuss the politics of the realm and the things that needed to be done to ensure the safety of the Kingdom.

"They have a strong army and with the never ending forest at its borders it will be difficult for the ogres and giants to come through to get to them. It would also provide us with a powerful ally to the east that will protect our borders." Lord Roderick seemed to be the leader of this band and as such stepped forward to speak on such matters.

"Queen Rapunzel and I have spoken of a marriage contract," The Queen began slowly, as soon as the words left her mouth the men seemed to titter like old maids in excitement over the prospect of the Queen having listened to their wants. They were dying to marry Emma off to the nearest Kingdom hoping to strengthen their borders and provide more able bodied men to defend their sorry hides.

"However it is difficult for me to allow my only child to be forced into a loveless marriage." The Queen steepled her fingers in front of her, jade eyes that she shared with her daughter staring around at the various men sitting around the large table. She'd kept the round table her husband had insisted on when they took the Kingdom. She almost regretted that decision now given that she had to look at these idiots on equal footing.

"Your grace, surely the good of the Kingdom trumps one marriage." Lord Roderick immediately protested, his dark eyes flashing with anger.

"The good of the Kingdom will not be had by forcing my child into a marriage she does not want nor need. With the mountains at our back, we have a natural defense that Moonshollow is lacking. We also have the dwarf mines there with their endless supply of fairy dust." She nodded to Grumpy, who gave her a small nod of his head but remained quiet.

Despite his gruff exterior, he was Emma's godfather and as such he didn't much like the way they were trying to force his favorite (and only) goddaughter into a marriage. He folded his arms, cutting his eyes at the spoiled dandy that dared try to protest against his Queen's words and his goddaughter's happiness.

"She's nearly twenty years old your grace. She reached marrying age at sixteen. She is being viewed as an old maid by civilized society."

"Watch your tone." Grumpy snarled and reached for his axe, his eyes cutting at the white haired lord who swallowed and shrunk slightly into his seat before sitting forward again as though the threat weren't very real.

Grumpy grinned clearly ready for the fight; his teeth gnashed as he pushed himself up out of his chair. Snow smiled softly and shook her head subtly earning a slight pout from the prickly dwarf. He sat back down with a muttered curse under his breath clearly wanting to defend Emma.

"My daughter is not an old maid. She is my only comfort without my dear husband. Everyone understands a mother's want to be with her only child since she is the only blood family I have left." Snow explained slowly though she too was growing angry with the way they were speaking.

Lord Roderick opened his mouth again to protest but Snow lifted a hand halting him. "Emma's birthday fast approaches. She will be twenty summers in barely a moon. We will throw a ball and invite our allies. Should someone catch my daughter's eye, we will make the proper movements to join the Kingdoms together at that point. Until then I beg you my lords allow me a bit of peace so that I might enjoy what's left of my time with my daughter before she is married and moved away from me." She rose to her feet, Grumpy, taking her silent signal, moved to her side.

"Good day my lords," She dipped into a slight curtsy as the men rose from their chairs and bowed deeply to her in return. She moved away from the round table and head towards the door Grumpy following close behind.

"Thank God that's over with sister." He muttered as soon as the doors fell closed behind them.

"Yes thank God indeed." Snow's shoulders hunched once more as they often did when in private.

Grumpy bit his lip shifting from foot to foot. He wasn't good at this comforting stuff. He was more of the smack you on your back and tell you to get over it persuasion but it was difficult to do that with Snow. He knew how hard the King's death had been on her. Even harder still because Emma while old enough to understand a bit of what was going on, still didn't want to believe that her Daddy was gone.

"Did Queen Rapunzel and King Flynn actually make an offer of a contract?" He asked, knowing Snow well enough to know that she may have lied to get the council off her back.

"No. They didn't. No one has."

"What are you gonna do?" He asked, carefully putting his pickaxe through the strap on his back.

"I don't know. No one wants a marriage contract with Emma."

"Why do you think that is?" Grumpy cocked his head.

"Because she's my daughter; and James'…she has my stubbornness and his head for strategy. She's a good warrior too. They're threatened by her. They say she's too masculine, that she doesn't know her place in society."

"They want a wife that's gonna have a head full of hot air." Grumpy pointed out in his usual blunt manner.

"Yes, they don't want an equal. They want a woman that is content to be left at home with the children. Emma won't tolerate that. She'd insist on being in the middle of battle with her spouse. That's just her way."

"Just like you." Grumpy sighed as they entered the Queen's chambers.

"Yes, just like me."

"You're afraid they'd break her spirit aren't you sister?"

"I know they would. Whoever marries Emma must be forward thinking. She won't allow herself to be barefoot and pregnant in the traditional sense of those words and I'm afraid none of the Princes in the surrounding Kingdoms view things that way."

"What about her friend Pinocchio? They always seemed close." Grumpy offered as the Queen moved to the balcony once again. She could usually be found out there staring off at the mountains as though it would bring James home.

"The nobles would never agree to such a union. He isn't a prince nor does he wield any particular type of power or sway. He would be perfect otherwise. Unfortunately we're royalty and as royalty we're expected to marry other royals."

"That's some sort of bullshit if I ever heard it."

The queen smiled at his language and gruff tone. She knew it was only because of his protective feelings for Emma and herself.

"So my goddaughter gets to suffer because they can't get their heads out of their asses." He continued to rant as moved up beside her on the stone balcony.

"Grumpy,"

"No, Snow. You know what I'm saying is true." He waved a gloved hand in her direction.

"I do." The Queen couldn't deny his words for a moment.

She and Grumpy had always been close. Though she adored all the dwarves, they had a special bond. James once commented that he wouldn't be surprised if he awoke to find Grumpy wedged between him and Snow at night. Until Emma had been born and then he always suspected the dwarf would sleep in the bed beside their daughter's crib because he wanted to see her safe. He always did adore that Emma was so like him in nature despite the fact that Snow and James both tried to nurture that out of her.

"So what's our next move?"

"Ours?"

"You screwed it up enough by not telling them to shove it up their asses back there. I'm not going to stand around and let my goddaughter suffer because they're too stupid to see the light. She doesn't need a husband. She needs a partner." He wouldn't tell Snow what he knew about Emma. Truthfully, he felt that was up to Emma to tell her mother though she often confided in him for fear of angering/upsetting her only blood relative.

"I don't know how to give her one." Snow shook her head, her eyes trailing away from the mountain and back to Grumpy, who moved closer.

"Plan the damn ball and see what she does. She might just take you by surprise." He turned, "I'm going to find Emma. We had plans to spar."

"She'll like that. She's missed having you here."

"Yeah; I missed being here." With those parting words, the scruffy dwarf left leaving the White Queen to her thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey kid," Grumpy said gruffly.

"Hey short stop," Emma greeted in return with a small smile. It used to bother her that Grumpy called her kid but now it was just a term he used to try and rile her up.

"That was weak Em," Grumpy pointed out as he pulled out his pick axe from the leather strap across his back. He stomped out into the arena, the dirt kicking up dust around his slight frame.

She rolled her eyes drawing her sword from her hip. "I can't help it if you're tiny."

"You call me tiny and I'll show you just where I'm not tiny," The dwarf threatened gruffly making Emma snicker.

She always liked the way he spoke to her. She didn't feel like she had to be so "proper". She wanted to curl her upper lip up at the term. It was the biggest complaint she had about being a princess; other than the being locked up on the castle grounds and not allowed to explore. She wanted adventure, she wanted to see the world and fight battles like her father but as a woman she wasn't allowed that sort of thing. Yet her mother spoiled her since her father's death and allowed her to learn the sword and archery; whatever she wanted was hers. She knew her mother was often trying to make up for her father being gone but she couldn't help but take advantage of her mother's willingness to give in. It was why she was allowed all the things she'd been allowed. It was also the source of her current problems.

Grumpy took up position with his axe eyeing the blonde princess. "Your Mom's having problems you know."

"Oh?" Emma asked as she stalked forward swinging her sword in a high arc that Grumpy easily countered.

"You need to tell her about your…proclivities." Grumpy brought the pickaxe down and swung wide as Emma jumped back.

"She doesn't need to know about that." Emma flushed, cutting her eyes at the dwarf. "You didn't tell her did you?"

"Do you think I'm stupid kid? It'd break her heart to learn that I knew before she did."

"You think that's what she'll be mad about?"

"Hell I know she will," Grumpy countered a low swing from Emma's sword, sparks flying as steel met steel.

"I think she'll be mad about other things first," Emma muttered.

"Your Mom may be a lot of things kid but she does love you." Grumpy pointed out as he ducked Emma's swing and brought his axe up to try and hit her in the stomach. She jumped back again as they broke apart.

"I didn't say she didn't love me snaggle tooth," She cut her eyes at the dwarf who glared at her. He'd once called her that when she'd lost her second tooth at six. She sometimes used the nickname on him to piss him off and it always pissed him off. He grumbled but she pushed on. "I just don't want to disappoint her with my…choices. Ever since I was little, she's had this fantasy of me in a wedding dress walking down the aisle to my prince charming."

"Little does she know its Princess Charming you want," Grumpy muttered.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Thanks for making me feel like an asshole you shriveled up shrimp."

"Watch your tone you bleached out little brat." Grumpy snapped, but his eyes were sparkling.

Emma laughed, "yeah, yeah."

"In all seriousness kid, talk to your Mom; I've known her for a long time and I know she just wants you to be happy."

"It'll disappoint her and that's the last thing I want to do." Emma lowered the sword, her head tilted downward.

Grumpy sighed, his pickaxe hitting the packed ground as he stared at her. "She's not going to be disappointed." They'd had this argument a few times since Emma had confessed her feelings for her own sex to him. No matter what he said or did though it never seemed to make a difference. Emma was determined; she wouldn't tell her mother until she was forced to.

"She will be Grumpy. And that was one thing I promised my father on his grave that I wouldn't do. I won't make my mother cry and that's what will happen if she finds out."

Grumpy took a breath, his nose and ears turning red a little as his ire rose. "Listen to me kid. You ain't getting any younger and the nobles are making plans that your mother is going to have to follow through with even if she's heartsick at the thought of 'em."

"What?" Emma almost dropped the sword she was leaning against as her jade eyes bugged out of her head.

"You heard me. They're planning on marrying you off and you'd best get on talking to your Mom because she's just about the only one that stands a chance in hell at saving you from that fate." Grumpy sighed as he swung his axe around. "Talk to her Emma." It was rare for him to use her name but when he did it meant business. "You don't have much time."

Emma frowned, staring at him before giving him a nod. 

* * *

 

"Emma," Her mother's soft voice echoed in her chambers. Emma looked up from braiding her hair at her vanity. She watched in the polished silver surface of the mirror as her mother came closer with a tender smile. Jade eyes met jade in the mirror as mother and daughter stared at one another.

"What's wrong mother?" She asked, unable to stand the silence.

"Your birthday is fast approaching. You'll be twenty summers. It's a big day."

"It's just another day Momma." Emma pointed out as her mother took her hair in her hands and completed the braid she'd started.

"I've been thinking of how we should celebrate." Snow continued as she plaited Emma's golden silky locks easily. Her eyes remained down on the thick locks of her daughter's hair not wanting to see her face when she asked this of her.

"However will we do that?" Emma asked with fake sweetness since Grumpy had warned her of her mother's binding with a push of the nobles.

"I thought perhaps a ball. We could invite our allies as well as the nobles to celebrate your birthday." Snow continued finally tying off Emma's hair and taking a step back to allow her daughter to stand.

Emma studied her in the mirror before finally rising to her feet. "What if I don't want to have a ball?"

Snow faltered, "Well I suppose that would be fine," She spluttered out watching as Emma turned to face her with a soft smile.

"A ball is fine Momma and you may invite our allies. It's only proper." She walked towards the three stone steps that led up to her bed chambers.

"Winter will be on us soon. We will have to host them for a few days." Snow said softly, knowing how Emma felt about her privacy.

Her child wasn't particularly fond of those that she didn't know well and sometimes those she did know well depending on how they felt about her more princely habits as she preferred to refer to them. Snow herself still had the same tendencies as her daughter and she saw no problem with them but those around them surely did.

"That's fine Mother. I'm sure I can find some way to occupy myself if they aren't what they should be."

"Unfortunately, it won't be that simple anymore Emma. You are a grown woman; they will expect your presence. It's the way of things, I'm afraid."

Emma opened her mouth to protest before closing it with a nod. "Of course Mother; it's only for a few days." She could grit her teeth and bare it. She could. "Will I be allowed to have others at my ball as well?"

"Who do you have in mind?" Snow asked folding her arms.

"I'd like the dwarves to attend." They would run interference if something happened or if someone got to be too much for her.

Snow started to open her mouth to refuse before smiling and giving a nod. "So would I love; we'll ask them."

"Thank you Mother."

"You only turn twenty once darling. I just hope it's everything you'll want it to be."

"I'm sure it will be." Emma forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

 


End file.
